Aces Wild

by Taylor Lee

  He took a large swallow of whisky and leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees. He faced his friend and spoke plainly.

  “Look, Chao. We’ve known each other for almost a decade. You are one of the most important people in my life. And you’re in trouble. Big trouble. For the ugliest of reasons. In some crazed way, this attack on you and by extension on Ana and Kai, seems to be as much about your race as your business. You know, Chao, I would never…

  Chao put up his hand and shook his head.

  “Stop, Gabe. Words are not necessary. I know the danger I’m in. Whoever is after me has chosen to attack me on my most vulnerable front, my son and daughter. Gabe, after my wife died, I thought I had no reason to go on living. Those two young people proved me wrong. Now because someone hates me at such an elemental level, they are willing to kill my children.”

  Gabe’s gut heaved. Chao was right. The people after him weren’t going after Chao directly, stealing his business or undermining his standing in the Tong. They were going after his children. The back of his neck itched the way it had earlier when he was intent on getting Ana’s notes. Gabe knew he was closing in on an important clue, but it was elusive, out of reach. Damn, he needed Eagle. First he needed to talk to Chao. He couldn’t put off any longer,

  “Chao, about Kai and…about…Ana.

  Again, Chao put up his hand.

  “Gabe, I am not happy that my son was in a fight last night, that he was hurt physically. That he was badly beaten. But the man who did it didn’t beat him down. According to his Kung Fu master who watched from the sidelines, Kai learned several lessons that Master Han has been trying to teach him for some time.”

  Gabe couldn’t hide his surprise. “You knew? Damn, Chao, why do I think I can put any thing over on you?”

  Gabe shook his head, remembering the fury in the young man, how he fought blindly, unable to still his anger. He wanted to explain to Chao, although it was likely from Chao’s calm demeanor that he was as aware of his son’s emotional turmoil as Gabe was. Before he could speak, Chao continued.

  “Kai is an excellent fighter, Gabe. Master Han is one of the most accomplished Kung Fu masters in all of San Francisco. He honored me by be coming here to work with my daughter and my son. He is not a humble man. Imagine my surprise when he told me this morning that in ten minutes you taught my son more about being a warrior than he had been able to instill in four years.”

  Gabe didn’t pretend to false modesty. It wasn’t one of his strong suits. He had a knack for seeing beneath the surface of the men he encountered, whether at the poker table or the battlefield. The tells were always there. You just had to know where to look and let the guy show himself. He nodded to Chao.

  “Master Han taught Kai well. His skills are well honed. And, hell, the guy is strong. Physically, he is stronger than I am. His anger is his downfall, but then you know that, Chao.” The older man nodded in agreement. “He reminds me of my partner. We call him Eagle. There is more anger buried in Eagle’s psyche than any man I have ever encountered. Over the years that we have worked together, I have watched him learn to control that anger and become ten times the fighter he was before. Eagle is a scary man, Chao, more so now that he is under control.”

  “You taught him that, Gabe. No, don’t deny it. I know you. I’ve watched you. I’ve lost thousands of dollars to you at the poker table. Your ability to read the mind of your opponent, to focus on his strengths and weaknesses at the most challenging of times is your gift, Gabe. It is the essence of Kung Fu. It is what I hoped you would help my son see.”

  To Gabe’s surprise, Chao stood and formally bowed to him. Decorum required that Gabe bow in return, acknowledging Chao’s compliments. Both men were quiet for a moment and Gabe took the opportunity to stoke his determination to have what he knew would be a hard conversation, a difficult one. He needed to talk with Chao about Ana. He didn’t know where to start. Or for that matter where to go, to end. He took his time preparing the fine cigar that Chao passed his way. When he finished and settled back in his chair to smoke, he focused on Chao. To his surprise, Chao was watching him, a glint of amusement in his eyes. Damn, that look wouldn’t last long when he said what he had to say. There was nothing to do but begin.

  “Chao, about Ana…”

  Once again, Chao held up his hand. He puffed on his cigar for a moment and took a sip of his cognac. Chao nodded several times, then blew a puff of rich cigar smoke in the air. Flicking the ash against the silver ashtray at his elbow, he met Gabe’s gaze.

  “Ah, yes. Ana. The beautiful, enticing, willful Ana. So smart that she is frightening, isn’t she, Gabe?”

  Gabe couldn’t hide his surprise at Chao’s description of Ana, which was astonishingly accurate. Chao ignored him. Instead, he leaned back in his chair smoking thoughtfully, as though considering an intriguing puzzle. After a long moment of silence, he spoke carefully.

  “In her way, Gabe, Ana is as intuitive as you are. She honed her skills in the quiet of the canyons. Days and nights in the meditative school of nature. What she has not done, not had the opportunity to do, is to test those skills on other people, except for a chosen few like her father and her brother and a handful of the people who work my ranch. Like Clem, like Master Han and Jing, the closest thing Ana has to a mother.”

  Gabe thought he knew what was coming. This was Chao’s way of warning Gabe to leave her alone. To stay away from his precious daughter.

  Chao’s eyes narrowed, studying Gabe.

  “You might study those relationships, Gabe. They are instructive. Whether it is Clem, Kai or me, the people Ana focuses her energy on are completely at her mercy. She steals our power to resist her as easily and skillfully as you siphon off your opponents’ monies at the poker table.

  Gabe was thunderstruck.

  “Wait, Chao. Stop. Are you…are you warning me? Warning me about your daughter?”

  Chao smiled and gave a disingenuous shrug.

  “I feel it is only fair, Gabe. I know Ana. You are just meeting her. You are my dear friend. Perhaps with this warning you will be able to ward off the pull of her beauty, her spirit, her damnable stubbornness. But then again, as those of us who have succumbed to her power can tell you, there is no place we would rather be than in her thrall.”

  Incredulous, Gabe could only stare at the distinguished man who seemed amused. Hell, he looked like he might laugh at any moment at Gabe about Ana. What the hell?

  Chao smiled outright. As though conceding a point, he acknowledged, “While you are skilled in the ways of the world, of dealing with other people the good and more often the bad, Ana has been sheltered. Although, the worst person I hope she ever encounters in her lifetime is at the center of our family circle.”

  The chilling image of a viper writhing in a nest preparing to strike made Gabe shudder. But Chao stole his thoughts with his words.

  “And, yes, Gabe, I know what you are feeling. Perhaps more than you do. My daughter is an astonishingly beautiful woman. She is also a handful in very special ways. Today you saved her life,” He brushed aside Gabe’s demurral. “No, Gabe, you know you did. Even if Ana managed to survive the attack from those vicious men, she would never have been the same.”

  He closed his eyes against the hideous image his words invoked. After a moment his hard expression softened and he grinned slightly. “Not to minimize the fact that after saving her life you confronted the most challenging person in Ana’s life. That viperous woman who by an ugly twist of fate is the sister of the only woman I have ever loved.”

  Gabe was humbled by the pain he saw in Chao’s eyes at the thought of his dead wife. It was just a flash of emotion, gone as quickly as it came, as though Chao had learned over many hard years how to bury the anguish that still tore at him.

  Smiling again, Chao winked at Gabe.

  “I would be remiss, Gabriel, if I did not mention that I was intrigued to see you pluck my daughter up and cart her off to her chambers. To put it mildly, Ana, and me by ext
ension, are not used to such high handed behavior. I heard you call her Princess. In some ways she is, which makes this whole affair even more interesting to this man who knows more about life than you give me credit for.”

  When Gabe frowned and mumbled “not so,” Chao waved his response aside.

  “I know you expect me to warn you not to mistreat Ana. I don’t feel the need, Gabriel. Your rather peculiar honor that plays out in an interesting way will prevent you from dishonoring Ana.”

  He took another puff off his cigar and then blew out a hard sigh.

  “No, Gabriel. I’m more concerned about you. You may find my daughter more than you can handle.”

  Gabe felt like the village idiot, eyes rolling in his head, staring open-mouthed at the composed man smiling at him. What the hell was Chao saying? What could he be thinking? Didn’t he know anything about Gabe? After all these years? There was no way he hadn’t heard about Gabe, his reputation. All of it and more well-earned.

  Gabe swallowed hard, hurdling the lump in his throat with difficulty. He raised his hands and conceded. Chao had taken him completely off guard and he felt vulnerable to his gaze in a way he couldn’t remember ever feeling.

  Grasping for what remnants he could find of his usual humor, he conceded.

  “Hell, Chao, you sure know how to throw a man a curve. Guess I don’t have to tell you, this is not what I expected to hear tonight.”

  He gave a diffident toss of his head. “But you are right about at least one thing, Chao – I’ll have to think on the rest. You have an unusual daughter and, yeah, she’s gotten under my skin in a way I’m not used to. I’ll take your warning to heart. After all, what the hell am I but a man? The playing field never has been even. No matter what women pretend otherwise.”

  Gabe jumped up. He couldn’t contain his emotions. He’d been struggling since he left Ana. More than anything he wanted to march out of Chao’s office and go bang on her door, insist that he see her, talk to her. Damn, he would do anything to wipe that hurt look out of her eyes. But he knew it wouldn’t do any good. Chao might not be put off by his reputation, but Ana sure as hell was.

  He paced across the room and ended up in front of the liquor cabinet.

  “Mind if I find some off your harder stuff, Chao? I’m not an easy man to surprise, but you came damn close to shocking me. I think the only thing that will give me my sea legs back is the strongest damn whisky you’ve got hidden away in here.”

  He found a bottle of Makers Mark. When Chao nodded in agreement to his unspoken question, Gabe grabbed the bottle and two glasses and sat in the chair in front of Chao’s desk. He accepted the cigar and light Chao offered and sunk back to think, get his thoughts in order. An outrageous plan had occurred to him after he met with Gunnar and Eagle. Even though he hadn’t talked it through with them, he knew he was on the right track.

  “I’m gonna propose an idea, Chao. I hope you’ll go along with it. First, my partners and I are convinced that whoever is masterminding this outrage is close to your home. It’s someone you know well and who knows your family well. Gunnar and Eagle and a couple of my other men have been checking out the list of disgruntled assholes you’ve excoriated over the last year or so. The ones who do business with Dominic are at the top of our list. As we agreed, Dominic is unlikely to be masterminding this. He hates your guts, but he’s not going to go after your son and daughter. At least I don’t think so. I’m gonna have little chat with Dominic in the next couple of days. I’ll know more after that.

  “Here’s my idea. I want you to host a dinner party and a dance. A big shindig, a dance, rite of spring, I don’t give a damn what you call it . But I want you do schedule it for Friday. Make up some excuse why it needs to be done now. Then I want you to go down the list Gunnar and Eagle made and invite every one of those men and their wives. The wives will make sure they get here. No woman, at least the ones I met a couple of days ago, wants to be the one who wasn’t invited or whose husband balked at attending. My goal is to get them all in the same room and see if between me and my men we can smoke out the perpetrators. We have some ideas how we might do just that.”

  Gabe waited to give Chao a chance to respond and was pleased when he did. As usual, he didn’t contest, didn’t probe. If Chao saw he wisdom of an idea, he never stood in the way. And over the years, Gabe’s ideas had been damn good and the money Gabe saved Chao made Gabe’s healthy fees seem like a bargain.

  “That’s an interesting idea, Gabriel. Of course, it frightens me that you believe the perpetrator is close to our family. That is unsettling as you know. I do have an idea of how we might make the affair seem more probable. Senator Webster sent me a telegram a couple of days ago indicating that he would be in San Francisco. Wanted to meet some of my ‘friends.’ Having grown up in a political family, Gabriel, you know that means he’s stalking campaign funds. No U, S. Senator wants to host a group of mob leaders or gang members, but he is always willing to come to an event where he can rub a shoulder or two and, coincidently, leave much wealthier than he came.”

  “That’s an excellent idea, Chao. Gives an excuse why it is late notice. It also gives us cover. Webster is key to many of the issues affecting tax policy, mineral rights, land issues – all dear to the hearts of the California underground. Brilliant, Chao.”

  While they finished their whisky and cigars, Gabe fleshed out more of his plans.

  When they were finished, he got up to leave. A grin tugged at his mouth.

  “Don’t know that I am much in favor with Penelope at this point, but I’m willing to be an ambassador, indicate that it is my idea.”

  Chao shook his head.

  “That won’t be necessary, Gabriel. Mention power, influence, and money and Penelope becomes a whirling dervish. She’ll have this party pulled together in days. And trust me, she will ensure that all the “important” men in San Francisco attend. Corralling moneyed men is one of her skills.”

  Chao joined him as Gabe walked to the door.

  “Now getting Ana to attend may be the hardest part of this shindig. I presume you want her there.”

  “Yeah, Chao, I do. I hate like hell that we are using her for bait, but I don’t know what else to call it. We’re using all three of you. You, Kai, and Ana. Just know that no one, and I mean no one, will threaten any of you. You have my word.”

  “That’s a given, Gabriel. You’ve never let me down and you won’t now.”

  Gabe nodded in agreement. As they stood in the doorway, he turned back to Chao. He felt like a fool saying it, but damned if it could go unsaid.

  “One more thing. Make sure Ana doesn’t wear that damn red dress she wore the other night. You now the one, Chao, the one she made sure didn’t restrict her.”

  “Why Gabriel, I thought you were intrigued by that slit she put in the front of her dress.”

  Gabe’s grin didn’t reach his eyes.

  “I was. And so was every other lecherous asshole at the party.”

  “And that’s a problem?”

  “Yeah, Chao,” he said with a grin, “That’s a hell of a big problem.”

  “Shall I put her in a nun’s costume, a monk’s robe?”

  Gabe laughed. “I know you are a powerful man, Chao, but you’re also a smart one. You know better than trying to contain an exotic bird in an artificial cage.”

  “That I do, Gabriel. I’ve had a great deal of practice over the years trying to protect that little bird without annoying her.”

  “Someday when you have time, I’d like to learn some of those tactics. The only thing I seem to be able to do with your daughter is annoy the hell out of her.”

  Chao put his hand on Gabe’s shoulder, “That’s a start, Gabriel. Means you have her attention.”

  “Hmm. Ever the optimist, right, Chao?”

  ~~

  Chapter 18

  Gabe headed out to the barn, resisting the impulse to look back over his shoulder to see if Ana was at her window. He knew it was unlikely. She looked e
xhausted when he left her. He wavered when he got to the barn and looked up at her window. Her room was dark. He was surprised at how disappointed he was. He chided himself. What did he think she would do? Hang out longingly at the window to catch a glimpse of the man who had embarrassed her? Hurt her?

  Thirty minutes with Clem and his hands convinced Gabe that the foreman and those close to him were not involved in the plot. Clem was furious that men he’d hired had planned to attack Ana.

  Sympathy tugged at Gabe, watching the tough wrangler struggle with his guilt.

  “How do you think I feel, McKenna? You think I like knowing that the sons of bitches who planned to rape that little girl and then kill her were working for me?

  Gabe shuddered at the description. He’d refused to let himself think about what could have happened. If he did, he didn’t know how he could keep himself from storming the jail and killing the two weasels with his bare hands.

  “Clem, let it go if you can. The best way you can help Chao and me and Ana is to tell me everything you can about how those assholes came to be here. Who hired them? Who sent them?”

  “That’s the hell of it, McKenna. I’ve been wrackin’ my brain. The only thing I remember is they just showed up. We’d lost a couple of men to the Harcourt’s spread and those two showed up at just the right time. They looked like any other sorry asshole I hire and I didn’t think anything of it.”

  “Harcourt? Peter Harcourt? Are you talking about that supercilious prick I met at the dinner party the other night?”

  “If you’re talkin about a foppish pale fella that no more deserves ownin’ a ranch than I do. Doubt he knows the tail end of a cow from the front leg. He’s a smarmy one. From what I hear, their place is going down fast. Wouldn’t put it past him to try and hire away from us. I ain’t braggin, but I do have a reputation. Chao Li has the biggest spread around here, in California. Some say it’s the best run.”